Puzzles of the Past: A genealogy blog by Judith Beaman Scott. A place to share my love of genealogy and history, tell some family stories before they’re forgotten, and just maybe, find some new ones. I’ll use these pages to share information about my Kentucky, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia families and discuss methods to solve some genealogical puzzles. Along the way I’ll include discussions of current issues and practices in the field of genealogy.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Writing for a Genealogical Periodical

Genealogists often hesitate to submit articles to genealogy publications. Yes, some like the National Genealogical Society Quarterly might be intimidating, but there are many other possibilities. Smaller and less well known genealogical organizations sometimes struggle to fill the pages of their periodicals and appreciate new contributors and a variety of topics.

What publications should you consider? Start with local groups, especially the ones you belong to; some accept submissions from members only. Look to organizations and societies in areas where you research too. If you write about Kentucky ancestors, for example, consider Kentucky publications. Many accept submissions if they reflect the history or families of the region.

Michael Hait and Harold Henderson compiled a list of regional and state genealogy publications, with links to online information. You will find “State & Regional Genealogical Society Journals” at

Some organizations accept a narrow scope of articles, while others allow a broad range of subjects. History and culture of the area, case studies, technology, family stories, abstracts and “how to” are some you might see. In my local quarterly we have feature articles with a particular focus in each issue, and a series of regular columns which include Genealogy Education, Oregon County Research, Family Stories and Relics.

Where to Start:

Read back issues of various periodicals to get a feel for the style and content.

Decide on a topic and style. Will you write something new or submit something you’ve already written? Choose journals that suit your type of article.

Write about something that interests you, not what you think you should write about. You’ll do a much better job.

Consider your audience. Writing for publication is somewhat different than writing for your family. You have a broader audience and probably need to explain details; your family may know the places, history and relationships of people, but others don’t.

. Do your research, and document the facts. Double-check. Include citations in the format required by each publication.

Read your writing aloud. If you stumble on a sentence it probably needs to be rewritten.

Ask someone else to read and help you proofread
if possible.

Get the submission guidelines and style guides
for each publication, and do follow them. If ask to format the article a
particular way, do it. I will tell you first hand, no one wants to remove
fifty extra paragraph returns from an article because the author didn’t read
the instructions.If it says use a
particular font, that’s what you send them. Some will accept photographs
but these often need to be sent in a separate file, not embedded in the
article.

Find out in advance the copyright policy. This
varies by society and is an important issue. You need to know if you
retain “ownership” of your article and whether you can have it printed
elsewhere.

Editors edit-don’t be upset. Some edit dramatically to fit the voice of the publication, other do more proofing than editing. Whatever the process, the editor will generally be in touch with you about changes but it’s best to find out their procedure ahead of time. Do they make changes without letting you know, or consult you before changing your article?

Editors work months in advance to plan the issue, and they often wait for an issue that will best suit your submission, so expect to wait to see your article in print.

Great post - and thanks for mentioning Harold's and my directory of society journals.

I would like to add that this directory only includes those statewide or local journals that appear to require the use of genealogy standards in their publications. In many cases, this is specifically stated in their submission guidelines. In other cases, it is only assumed based on other evidence.

About Me

Years ago, an uncle took to an old family cemetery atop a muddy hill in Eastern Kentucky. I was hooked! I always loved the family stories, but I began looking for the people behind them. Now, years later, I continue to search for my ancestors, and try to solve the puzzles of other families as well as my own.
I am a member of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon, the Association of Professional Genealogist and participate in the ProGen 11 study group. I am an editor of The Bulletin, the quarterly publication of the Genealogical Forum of Oregon